Cessna 152 accident near Gaithersburg, Maryland, June 30, 1985
On June 30, 1985 at about 2:15 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N757MP, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gaithersburg, Maryland (Montgomery County Airpark airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 30, 1985 · about 2:15 pm local time
- Place
- Gaithersburg, Maryland · Montgomery County Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N757MP · registry record · serial 15279851
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER NOT OBTAINING SURFACE WIND INFO AND NOT OBSERVING THE WIND SOCK, THE STUDENT PLT ENTERED FINAL APCH WITHOUT OBSERVING ANY SIGNIFICANT DRIFT. WHEN THE ACFT WAS AT NOSE-UP ATTITUDE. IT FLOATED AND STOPPED DESCENDING FOR A FEW SECONDS. SUDDENLY, THE PLT HEARD LOUD WHIPPING NOISES AND OBSERVED THE RIGHT WINGTIP CONTACTING THIN BRANCHES OF SMALL TREES. THE PLT MADE A GO-AROUND ATTEMPT. THE ACFT DID NOT ASCEND, BUT AFTER SEVERAL SECONDS THE RIGHT WINGTIP WAS FREE OF THE TREES AND THE ACFT RAPIDLY YAWED TO THE LEFT. AFTER ALIGNING WITH THE RUNWAY CENTERLINE, THE AIRCRAFT WHEELS CONTACTED THE RWY AT A NEARLY LEVEL ATTITUDE AND THE ACFT LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 62 hours in all; 62 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 23 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,670 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 4, 1984; 250 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 4,235 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N757MP the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.